7.5.1

Magnetic Flux Density

Test yourself

Magnetic Force

Magnetic force is the attractive or repulsive force felt by a charge when it is moving in a magnetic field.

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Magnetic force

  • Magnetic force can be calculated using the following equation:
    • Force = charge x velocity x field strength x sin(θ)sin({\theta})
    • F=qvBsin(θ)F=qvBsin({\theta})
      • Where θ{\theta} is the angle between the velocity and the field lines.
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Magnetic field strength

  • The magnetic field strength, B, is a measure of how dense the field lines are.
  • The units of magnetic field strength are Tesla (T).

Fleming's Left-Hand Rule

Fleming's left-hand rule is a useful way of telling which direction the field, the movement of the charge and the current flow in a magnetic field.

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Perpendicular directions

  • The field, the movement of the charge and the current have to be in perpendicular directions, so they must all be at 90o to each other.
  • If you hold your left hand as shown in the image:
    • Your thumb represents the direction of movement of the charge.
    • Your first finger represents the field.
    • Your middle finger represents the current.
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Method

  • The question will give you two out of three of these quantities.
  • You will need to line up those fingers then see which direction the last one is pointing in.
    • Remember field lines run from the north pole to the south.

Magnetic Force on a Wire Experiment

We can investigate how the force on a wire varies with flux density, current and length of wire in the magnetic field by using a top pan balance.

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Apparatus

  • Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram.
  • For this investigation, aim to make the angle of the wire with the field as close as possible to 90°.
  • Caution: the current should not exceed 4A (as the variable resistor is likely to smoke).
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Variables to investigate

  • Using the arrangement on the previous slide, we can investigate the magnitude of the force as a function of:
    • Flux density of the magnetic field.
    • Current in the wire.
    • Length of wire in the field.
    • Angle between wire and field lines.
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Formula for magnetic force

  • The formula for the magnetic force is:
    • F=BILsinθF=BIL\sin\theta
  • Where F is the force, B is the magnetic field strength, L is the length of wire in the field and θ is the angle between the field lines and the wire.
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Analysis example for current

  • Plot a graph of force against current.
  • The line of best fit should be a straight line that passes through the origin.
  • By comparison with “y = mx + c”, the gradient of the line should be equal to BLsinθBL\sin\theta.

Jump to other topics

1Measurements & Errors

2Particles & Radiation

3Waves

4Mechanics & Materials

5Electricity

6Further Mechanics & Thermal Physics (A2 only)

7Fields & Their Consequences (A2 only)

8Nuclear Physics (A2 only)

9Option: Astrophysics (A2 only)

10Option: Medical Physics (A2 only)

11Option: Engineering Physics (A2 only)

12Option: Turning Points in Physics (A2 only)

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